Electric signal system.



PATBNTED OCT. 25, 1904. -H W. SOUDER & J. EARLY.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DBOJ. 1903' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NO lODEL.

No. 773,166. PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904. H. W. SOUDBR & J. EARLY. ELECTRICSIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL 3SHBETS-SHEET 2.

EMA;

No. 773,166. PATENTED OCT. 25,1904. H. w. SOUDER & J. EARLY.

- ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.7, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 7 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HOXVELL WV. SOUDER, OF TAMAQUA, AND JOHN EARLY, OF LANSFORD,

PENNSYLVANIA.

' ELECTRIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 773,166, dated October25, 1904:. Application filed December 7, 1903. Serial No. 184,020. (Nomodel.)

1'0 a w/Lmn-it 712mg concern:

Be it known that we, HOWELL W. SoUDER, a resident of Tamaqua,-Schuylkillcounty, and JOHN EARLY, a resident of Lansford, Carbon county, State ofPennsylvania, citizens of the 7 United States of America, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signal Systems, of whichthe following is a specification.

Our invention relates in general to electrical block-signal systems forrailroads; and it' more specifically consists of an improved system ofsafety block-signals for electric trolleyroads.

The general arrangement of our system is similar to that shown in PatentNo. 735,416, granted to Howell l/V. Souder Auguste, 1903, and asillustrated herein it most nearly corresponds to the arrangement shownin Figure3 of said Patent No. 7 35,416. In the patented system thesignal-conductor extending along any block is normally grounded at bothends when no car is in the block; but when a car enters either end ofthe block it throws in the feed connection at that end and cutsout theground at that end, thereby sending a current through thesignal-conductor. If while a car is in the block another car enters theblock from the opposite end, that car also throws in the feed connectionat that other end and throws out the ground connection, thereby loopingthe' signal-conductor into shunt with the feed-wire and cutting off allcurrent therefrom If then one car backs out of the block, it throws outthe feed connection at that end and throws in the ground connection.This would reestablish a circuit through the signal-conductor if theaction stopped there; but where a single conductor extends from end toend of the block connecting the two resetting-magnets, as is the casewith the best form of the patented system, the current which turns thecircuitcontroller back at that end of the blockout of which the car isbacking also turns back the circuit-controller at the other endof theblock, with the result that both feed connections are cut out and bothground connections thrown in, so that the signal system is disarranged.Our invention is. designed to overcome this difficulty and accomplishesthe same by the would occupy when no car isin the block. 6

Fig.2 is a similar diagrammatic representation of circuits, the partsbeing shown in full lines in the position which they would occupy whentwo cars are in the block, one of said cars in the act of backing out.Fig. 3 is a '65 plan View, and Fig. 4 a side elevation, of a practicableform of resetting circuit-breaker which is diagrammatically shown in theother views.

Throughout the drawings like reference-fig 7 ures indicate like parts.

1 indicates the trolley-wire, broken away at the middle of thedrawings.

2 represents a turnout at the west end of the block, and 3a turnout atblock. r

4 represents a Y signal-frog near the west end ofthe block, and 5 asimilar signal-frog near the east end of the block. The normally opencontact-maker 4 is temporarily closed 8 by the passage of thetrolley-wheel of a car ntering'the block, and the normally open contact4: is temporarily closed by the passage of, a trolley-wheel passing outof the block. The contact-makers 5 nal-frog at the east end of the blockperform similar functions.

6 is the feed-conductor, extending along the line of the track, and 7 isthe signal-conductor, extending along the block and having a 90 numberof incandescent lamps 8 8 or other signal devices operated by thecurrent passing through said signal-conductor.

9 represents a circuit-controller at the east end of the block, and 10similar circuit-con- 95 troller at the west end of the block. Thesecircuit-controllers, while diagrammatically represented, may beconstructed in actual drawings, in

the east end of the 5 on the sigpractice like those shown in Figs. 4, 5,and 6 of Patent No. 735,416. As represented, the east circuit-controllerhas a contact-arm 9, connected to the signal-conductor 7, andacontact-arm 9", connected to the ground by the wire 19, while thecircuit-controller 10 has a contact-arm 10, connected to the other endof the signal-conductor 7, and a contact-arm 10", connected to theground by wire 20.

From the contact-maker 5 extends a wire 11, connected to the coils ofthe electromagnet 13 and thence to the ground. in the same way a wire 12extends from contact-maker 4", is connected to the coils of theelectromagnet 14:, and thence to the ground. The magnet 13 operates apawl-lever 15, and the magnet 1 1- operates a pawl-lever 16, which arenormally in the positions shown, said pawllevers cooperating withratchetwheels on their respective circuit-controllers.

A feed connection 17 extends from the feedwire 6 to the stationarycontact 17 operates with the contact-arm 9 of the circuitcontroller 9.In the same way a feed connection 18 extends to the stationary contact18, which cooperates with the contact-arm 103011 the circuit-controller10.

19 and 19" are stationary contacts on which the contact-arm 9"alternately bears, and 20 and 20 are stationary contacts on which thecontact-arm 10" alternately bears.

21 is a connection from the contact-maker 5 to one extremity of the coilof the magnet 23, and 22 is a similar connection from the contact-makera to one end of the coil of the electromagnet 2 1. The other end of thecoil of the electromagnet 23 is connected to the contact 19, and saidmagnet actuates the pawl-lever 25. In the same way the other end of thecoil of the electromagnet 24 is conneeted to the contact 20*, and saidmagnet aetuates the pawl-lever 26. 27 is a conductor extending along theblock, which we call the "resetting-conductor and which connects thefeed wires 21 and 22. This resetting-conductor 27 has a break at 28 inits main line, said break being controlled by a normally opencircuit-closer 29, shown as alever pivoted at 36. This lever is shown inits normal position in full lines and in its closed position at 29 indotted lines. This circuitcloser is controlled by the electromagnet 30,which is energized by the passage of current in the signal-conductor 7.There is a shunt 31 extending around the break in theresetting-conductor, and the current in this shunt energizes the magnet32, which also controls the circuit-closer 29, its attraction beingopposite to that of the magnet 30.

33 is a resistance included in the shunt 31, so as to make it ahigh-resistance shunt.

' In Fig. 2the positions of two cars are represented by thetrolley-wheels 34: and 35, another position of the car at the east endof the block being indicated by the dotted line repwhich 00- l theposition shown in Fig. 1.

l l l l resentation of the trolley-wheel 35. 7 is a branch from the westend of the signal-coir ductor to the contact 20, and 7 is a branch fromthe east end of the signal-conductor to the contact 19.

The operation of our invention is as follows: The block being empty, theparts are in If new a car enters the west end of the block, itstrolleywheel 34 will close the contact 4 and current will pass fromfeed-conductor 6 through the wire 12 to the ground, energizing themagnet 14. This will pull the pawl-lever 16 into the position shown inFig. 2, move the circuitcontroller 10 one tooth and throw the contactarm10 on to the contact 18 and the contactarm 10" ofl of the contact 2O onto the contact 2 This Will send the current from the feed-wire 6 throughthe connection 18 to the signal-conductor 7, through the branch 7",contact 19, arm 9", and ground-wire 19 to the ground. This will ofcourse cause the signal-lamps 8 8 to glow and also energize the magnet30, which will attract its armature on the left-hand arm of thecircuit-closer 29, throwing said circuit-closer into the position shownin dotted lines at 29 and closing the break 28 in the main line of theresettingconductor 27. if a car comes up to the east end of the blockand the motor-man overruns his signals and enters the block, he will inthe same way before described energize the magnet 13 and throw thecircuit-controller 9 into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,thereby cutting out the ground 19 and looping the signal-conductor 7into a shunt with the feed-wire 6. Accordingly no current will pass vthrough the signal-conductor 7, and not only will the lamps 8 8 go out,but the magnet 30 will become dead and no longer attracting its armatureon the circuit-closer 29, and the same will fall back into its normallyopen position, opening the break in the main line of theresetting-conductor 27. The motorman of the second car, discovering bythe extinguishment of the lamps that he has run into a block alreadyoccupied by a car going in the opposite direction, proceeds to back out,and. the moment his trolley-wheel touches the contact 5" a currentpasses from feed-wire 6 through the wire 21, the magnet 23,contact19,contactarm 9", and wire 19 to the ground. The magnet 23 accordinglyattracts the pawl-lever 25 and throws the circuitcontroller 9 back intothe position shown in full lines in both figures, thereby reestablishingthe original circuit through the signal-conductor 7 and causing thesignal-lamps to glow again, conveying the information to the first carthat the second car is backing out of the block and that the first carmay proceed. If it were not for the break 28 in the main line of theresetting-conductor 27, an amount of current equal to that which goesthrough the magnet 23 would also go through the magnet 21 and set backthe controller 10, thereby cutting out both feed connections and leavingthe signal-wire dead, and both cars would be blocked by the signals. Thebreak 28, however, prevents a suflicient current getting through to themagnet 2% to energize it sufiiciently to attract the pawl 26, and thisdifficulty is avoided. If this were all that were done, however, it isevident that during the instant of time that the trolley-wheel 35 wasrunning through the contactmaker 5 the reestablished current through thesignal-conductor 7 would renergize the magnet 30, attract thecircuit-closer 29, close the break 28, and give the necessary current tothe magnet 24 to produce this undesirable result before thetrolley-wheel 35 had freed itself from the contact-maker 5 To avoidthis, we employ the second magnet 32 and the shunt 31, in which the sameis included. This magnet 32 being either wound to a higher resistance orthe shunt being preferabl y provided with a separate dead resistance 33,the weak current which passes through the shunt, although not sufficientto operate the magnet 24, energizes the magnet 32 sufficiently for it tohold the circuit-closer 29 in the open position in opposition to thepull of the magnet 30 so long as there is any current passing throughthe Wire 21 and resettingconductor 27. Consequently the premature actionof the magnet 30 on the circuit-closer 29 is prevented, and the circuitcloser is held positively in its open position until the trolley-wheel35 has left the contact-maker 5, as indicated in dotted lines at 35,when, all current being cut off from the connection 21 andresetting-conductor 27, the magnet 32 becomes dead, and thecircuit-closer 29 is allowed to close under the influence of the mag net30. \Vhen the first car goes out of the block at the east end, it againsends a current through the wire 21, resetting-conductor 27, to themagnet 24, and to ground through wire 20, there by actuating thepawl-lever 26 and setting the circuit-controller 10 back in the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 1, so extinguishing the lamps and leavingthe block ready for the admission of another car.

The advantages of our invention, as already explained, comprise theprevention of the disturbance of the system by the backing out of a carfrom the block while another car is in the block without deranging theoperation of the system under other conditions. That is to say, withoutour invention a car entering a block at the west end cuts in the feedconnection at that end and cuts out the ground connection. The same carleaving the block at the east end cuts out the feed connection at thewest end and cuts in the ground connection there, or the same carbacking out at the west end also operates the west circuitcontrolleronly; but if after a car has entered the west end of the block anothercar enters from the east end and then either of the cars backs out itresets both circuit-controllers and disarranges the system.

With our invention the normal operation of the system with one carpassing through the block or into the same and backing out is notdisturbed; but the derangement of the system consequent upon the entryof two cars from opposite directions of the same block and the backingout of one of them is entirely obviated.

It is evident, of course, that various changes could be made in ourinvention Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thecircuit-closer 29 is illustrated in the drawings in a conventionalmanner, and other forms of circuit-closer might be used. The arrangementof the magnets 30 and 32 might also be varied so long as they operatedupon this circuit-closer in a manner opposed one to the other! Thecurrents supplied to these magnets also might be derived in a differentmanner, so long as they were controlled in the way described herein.These and other modifications, which might readily occur to one skilledin the art as soon as the underlying principle of our invention isunderstood, we should consider mere mechanical variations and stillwithin the boundaries of our invention.

In the practicable formof resetting circuitbreaker (shown in Figs. 3 and4) the magnet 30 is shown as formed of two spools or bobbins. actingwhen energized to lift the weighted armature 37. The signal-wire 7 isconnected to the binding-posts 7 7 W hen the armature 37 is lifted, thecircuit-closer bridge 29 drops into the clips 27 and 27, whichconstitutethe terminals of the resetting-conductor 27, and the circuitis complete. hen the magnet 30 is deenergized, the weight 37 drops onthe tail 29 of the circuit-breaker and lifts the bridge-piece 29 out ofthe clips 27 27, thereby breaking the circuit through theresetting-conductor. The magnet 32 and the resistance-coil 33 are inseries in the circuit 31, bridged across the binding-screws 31" 31 towhich the terminalsof resetting-conductor 27 are connected. This magnetwhen energized attracts and lifts the end of the pivoted circuitbreaker'29, which carries the bridge 29 thus holding the circuit 27 open. Thesecircuits are controlled in the manner before set out in the generaldescription of the system. 7

Having therefore described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric block-signal system for railroads, the combinationot'a signal-conductor extending along the block, circuit-controllingdevices for said signal-conductor located near each end of the block, aresettingconductor extending along the block, and having a break in itsmain line, a circuit-closer for said break and an electromagnet includedIIO in circuit with the signal-conductor and con- 1 ing out of theblock, a ground connection for trolling said circuit-closer to close thebreak in the resetting-circuit when there is current passing through thesignal conductor and means for opening said resetting-circuit when saidcurrent ceases.

2. In an electric block-signal system for railroads, the combination ofa signal-conductor extending along the block, circuit-controllingdevices for said signal-conductor located near each end of the block, aresettingconductor extending along the block, and having a break in itsmain line, a circuit-closer for said break, and. an electromagnetincluded in circuit with the signal-conductor and controlling saidcircuit-closer to close the break in the resetting-circuit when there iscurrent passing through the signal-conductor, and means for opening saidresetting-circuit when said current ceases, together with ahigh-resistance shunt around the break in the resetting-c0nductor and asecond magnet in said shunt acting on the circuit-closer in oppositionto the first-mentioned magnet.

3. In an electric block-signal system for railroads, the combination ofa signal-conductor extending along the block, feed connec tions andground connections therefor near each end of the block, acircuit-controller near each end of the block adapted to alternatelyconnect that end of the signal-conductor with the feed and groundconnections, electromagnetic means operated by the passage of a car intothe block to throw in the feed connection at that end of the block andthrow out the ground connection, electromagnets at each end of the blockadapted when energized to throw out the feed connection and throw in theground connection, a feed connection for each magnet temporarily closedby a car passing out of the block, a ground connection for each magnetcontrolled by the circuitcontroller at that end of the block, aresetting-conductor uniting said magnet feed connections, having a breakin its main line, a normally open circuit-closer for closing said break,and an electromagnet which moves the circuitcloser to close said breakwhen current passes through the signal-conductor.

4:. In an electric blocksignal system for railroads, the combination ofa signal-conductor extending along the block, feed connections andground connections therefor near each end of the block, acircuit-controller near each end of the block adapted to alternatelyconnect that end of the signal-conductor with the feed and groundconnections, electromagnetic means operated by the passage of a car intothe block to throw in the feed connection at that end of the block andthrow out the ground connection, electromagnets at each end of the blockadapted when energized to throw out the feed connection and throw in theground connection, a feed connection for each magnet temporarily closedby a car passeach magnet controlled by the circuit-controller at thatend of the block, a resettingconductor uniting said magnet feedconnections, having a break in its main line, a normally open circuitcloser for closing said break, and an electromagnet which moves thecircuit-closer to close said break when current passes through thesignal-conductor, together with a high-resistance shunt around the breakin the resettingconductor, and a second electromagnet adapted to holdsaid circuit-closer open while current is passing through theresetting-conductor.

5. In an electric block-signal system for railroads, the combination ofa signal-cond uctor extending along the block, electrical mechanism andconnections for sending a current through the signal-conductor while acar is passingthrough the block, but to cut elf said current when asecond car enters the block from the other end while the first car isstill inthe block, a resetting-conductor extending along the block andelectrical connections therewith, and mechanism for reversing thesignal-operating connections when one of the cars backs out of theblock, said resettingconductor having a normally open break in its mainline, a circuit-closer for said break, and electrical mechanism operatedby the passage of current through the signal-conductor to throw saidcircuit-closer into operative position.

6. In an electric block-signal system for railroads the combination of asignal-conductor extending along the block, electrical mechanism andconnections for sending a current through the signal-conductor while acar is passing through the block, but to cut off said current when asecond car enters the block from the other end while the first car isstill in the block, a resetting-conductor extending along the block andelectrical connections therewith, and mechanism for reversing thesignal-operating connections when one of the cars backs out of theblock, said resettingconduetor having a normally open break in its mainline, a circuit-closer for said break, and electrical mechanism operatedby the passage of current through the signal-conductor to throw saidcircuit-closer into operative position, together with a high-resistanceshunt around the break in the main line of the resetting-conductor, andelectrical mechanism operated by the passage of current through saidshunt-circuit to positively hold the circuit-closer out of operativeposition.

Signed at Lansford, Pennsylvania, day of December, 1903.

HOWELL WV. SOUDER. JOHN EARLY.

this 2d \Vitnesses:

- G. A. FRITZ,

HUGH EDGAR.

